Monday Made It

So I realized as I was typing this post that the Monday Made It linky party is now over for the summer, but I am too stinking proud of these boxes for them not to get their own post!
I'm starting Daily Five this year, and I knew that I would be needing book boxes. Ideally I wanted ones that matched my classroom, but my #1 was that they needed to be plastic not cardboard. After the sticker shock of looking at some teacher stores, I decided to go with ice buckets from Walmart. I brought them into my room and let them sit for a few days before taking them back home to paint! Since my room is teal and read, I went with doing 10 teal and 10 red. After talking to the very helpful man at Lowes, I went with a primer and then my color of choice. Now all I had to do was wait for it to cool down! We were having a heat wave, so I waited until it cooled down a bit. Finally, about two weeks after making up my mind to paint the boxes, I had a perfect, 85 degree day! I did all of my painting outside on the picnic table that I covered with a dollar plastic sheet. Next time I would also use gloves since my hands ended up a total mess!

Ready to get started. 

The future teal boxes out on the table. I primed them, let them sit for about an hour, and then spray painted them. 

The teal boxes are done and the red are primed and ready to paint! 

My finished boxes! I love the way they turned out. I let them cure at home for about a week before I brought them to school and filled them with books.

The finished product! I made the numbers to match, though cutting out circles was a nightmare. I'm sticking to squares from now on! They were a lot of work, but I think they look great and really help tie the room together. 

Monday Made It

The summer is absolutely flying by! We have professional development days this week and start in-service in just two short weeks! I am flipping between trying to relax and enjoy my last few weeks of summer and preparing for the new year. This week I was able to do both! I am linking up with Tara for my first Monday Made It! 

Growing up my family always had a big garden. It was great getting fresh veggies and herbs from the back yard. I have missed it ever since I moved to Tennessee, but recently my roommate started up a little garden on our porch! Although I am not the genius behind the idea, I have helped! We have mint, basil, tomatoes, and green onions. My favorite thing to make right now is a watermelon basil salad with fresh basil. So easy and refreshing!

Our little garden! 

I finally took the plunge this week and put some products in my TPT store! I have four items so far, and am so excited to finally begin! I have been using TPT for years, but have been afraid to load products. Copyrights, costs, and clip art, oh my!
Before I posted it on TPT, I used my drawer labels to make a copy, grade, file box!

Regretting the fact that my straight cutter is at school...fortunately I cut it (pretty) straight! 

Finished product! It goes perfectly with my polka-dot sock monkey decor! 

Here it is on TPT! Click here to purchase. Please let me know what you think! 

Monday Made It

What a week! Last week I spent every day either in my classroom or at an in-service. Trying to get ready for the year is hard work! Since I don't have keys to the building yet, I used the weekend to make a few thing for my classroom.

 

Project #1

First up, I made a teacher toolbox that I have seen all over pinterest. The project is one that I've wanted to do for months, but I decided to wait until I saw my classroom. Once I did and realized that half of the drawers in my desk are stuck shut, I knew it was time to go shopping! I got the organizer at Lowes for $16 and change.

I liked the blue it came in, but it didn't really fit with my decor, so I decided to spray paint it black! I just used regular spray paint, I decided it wasn't worth the extra money for plastic-specific paint. I spray painted the entire thing, let it dry for 24 hours, then painted the front and top with an extra layer. 

Once it was painted, I was ready to decorate! I used Kristen Doyle's polka dot labels and just edited a few to suit my class (like no magnets, the only magnetic thing in my room is my file cabinet!). I just used regular green tape to tape the labels on the inside of the drawers. 

I really love the way it turned out!! So cute and practical!

Project #2

In one of the classes I subbed for in the spring, she had drawers like these for each day of the week. I thought it was a great idea, but I knew I would need them to be cuter than just plain paper! I whipped these up on power point and taped them in. I also added just the polka-dots to the sides since they can be seen. Again, easy and adorable! My AP walked in and was gushing over both projects, turns out she too is a dot lover! Good to know I am not the only one. :) 

Project #3

My school requires our lesson plans to have Bloom's Taxonomy verbs in our lesson plans. I was given a printed list, but all those verbs in black and white was just overwhelming! So naturally I re-typed the list, made each level a different color, and added a little pizazz. My desk has a glass top, so I slid the page under the glass so the list is on my desk at all times, ready to help plan at any time! 

What a busy weekend! Later this week I will post about pencil sharpeners and awards!